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CPE Speaking Practice: Social Media

Introduction

In this lesson you will prepare for a CPE Part 3 long turn by

  • reading about the pros and cons of social media
  • identifying key vocabulary
  • looking at effective ways of starting a long turn
  • trying a CPE Speaking Part 3 long turn

CPE Part 3 Task

You are going to prepare to answer the following Part 3 task

What effect has the emergence of social media meant for the individual and society?

  • • relationships
  • • skills
  • • mental health

Reading

Click the links below and read the two articles about ‘social media’. These articles are on another website. Don’t forget to come back to complete the lesson!
NB: Please let me know if these links no longer work and I will update the exercise.

  • https://schools.au.reachout.com/articles/benefits-of-internet-and-social-media
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/evidence-based-living/202110/the-pros-and-cons-social-media-youth

Vocabulary

The following words all appeared in the two articles above, but in set expressions, not individual words. How many set expressions can you identify?

Here are the set expressions and collocations. Are there any you don’t understand? If so, read the article concerned again and try to work out the meaning.

Article 1

  • maintain social connections and support networks
  • bolster self-confidence
  • become an integral part of our daily lives
  • play a vital role in
  • social participants
  • active citizens
  • make informed decisions
  • broaden users’ horizons

Article 2

  • change the playing field
  • sense of identity
  • come out of one’s shell
  • bolster self confidence
  • feel self conscious
  • to broaden one’s perspectives
  • on the flip side
  • digital footprint
  • body of evidence

Speaking Strategy

There are a number of ways of starting a long turn like this. One idea is to highlight the significance of the subject in contemporary society. For example

Hardly a day goes by without news of how social media poses dangers for young people, so this question is clearly of importance. For my own view …

This is a very relevant question. Social media plays a huge role in the lives of most people these days, particularly in terms of the points listed below. Let me start by looking at relationships …

Think about how you might start your long turn before continuing. Here’s the question again:

What effect has the emergence of social media meant for the individual and society?

  • relationships
  • skills
  • mental health

Speaking Practice Test

Now try this CPE Speaking Part 3 task. Try using some of the expressions we have looked at above along with an opening statement that expresses the contemporary relevance of the subject .

Choose what you want to do

  • simply record yourself and play the recording back to see how well you did.
  • record yourself and email me the recording. I’m afraid I can’t give everyone individual feedback but I may feature your recording on the website with my comments. You’ll be invited to email the recording when you’ve finished.

Tip! For the best quality recording try to do this somewhere quiet and with an external microphone. Remember, your talk should be no longer than 2 minutes.

Filed Under: CPE (C2: Proficiency)

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